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Music Industry

Top Eccentric Album Art Examples

July 31, 2014 admin Leave a comment

It is a widely held observation that geniuses aren’t the same as the rest of us. Some of them are a little eccentric, some just plain weird, while others are flawed in ways that can harm their health and have major influences on those around them. Still, we’re going to stick to looking at the fun ways we can embrace eccentricity and that means looking at some of the most eccentric, weird, and downright bizarre album art to ever grace the cover of a CD.

Back to the S***

Many “worst album cover ever” polls feature this as number one, and for us it is probably the most eccentric and probably disturbing, too. It features Mille Jackson, the ‘star’ of the album, sitting on a toilet with her knickers around her ankles.

Not a whole lot of thought went into this, clearly, although it is perhaps a better outcome than having her playing around on a farm with pigs or cows. The album ‘peaked’ at number 79 on the US R&B album chart, so at least it lived up its name in some ways.

You can see the album cover here.

III aka Melt

The cover for this Peter Gabriel album is actually quite good and was ahead of its time when it comes to photo manipulation for media purposes. The cover is basically a photo of Gabriel with half his face running down it as if it were a painting that hasn’t dried properly.

We don’t know who created this effect – Gabriel and his record label are on record as saying they can’t remember themselves – so it could well be that it was simply pulled from a developing tray in an old school dark room 10 seconds before they needed to have a final result and something to live up to the title.

Image Credit: http://www.allmusic.com/

Down on the Farm

Whenever an album cover – or a song for that matter – feels eccentric, it is always fun to spend time exploring the hidden meaning or message behind it. Sometimes, no matter how much you think or how weird a headspace you’re able to escape to, it proves impossible to find what’s being said.

The cover for Little Feat’s Down on the Farm album fits this idea/problem perfectly. It involves a floosy Daisy Duck inspired, erm, duck sitting by the pool showing far too much leg and pouting while holding a cigarette. At the opposite side of the pool sits a tiger. You work it out!

Check it out for yourself on the Little Feat website.

Advice from the Happy Hippopotamus

One look at the name of this album should give you an idea of what to expect. Released by a band called Cloud Cult – itself somewhat eccentric and even sinister sounding – in 2004, the cover for the album involves a child (which disturbing cover doesn’t these days) sitting on a rocking horse while their head appears enlarged by a bubble, a goldfish bowl, or an astronauts helmet, depending on your interpretation. Add in the bizarre frame and the open door to what looks like an outdoor acid trip, and you have something inexplicable.

The cover is featured in this Pitchfork review of the album.

Music is art, and so are some of these eccentric album covers. That said, they’re better than boring, insignificant ones!

How-To

How to Write Lyrics for Acoustic Compositions

July 28, 2014 admin Leave a comment

Whether you want to put your music on YouTube or another website or simply find it therapeutic to write compositions and lyrics, it is easy to get lost in yourself when you’re just sitting there with a guitar, a pencil, and a notepad. Skilled musicians often find it easy just to sit with a guitar in hand and then make up the words as they play along. Often, this will be done when sitting with an acoustic guitar, usually while sat on a sofa or even laying on a bed.

At the same time, writing lyrics doesn’t come easily to everyone. Here are some tips and ideas that should inspire you to get started with writing lyrics when sitting with your guitar.

Think About How You Feel

The beauty of the acoustic guitar is that your words can turn a composition into something soft or aggressive, depending on how you’re feeling at a given time. Think about how you feel right now. You’ll write better lyrics if there is something burning inside you. This might mean you don’t actually feel like sitting down and writing words, but you’ll be surprised how much better your songs are when you write them based on emotion. Very few people have ever written a great song by manufacturing feelings out of nothing. Know how you feel, and start writing.

Why You Feel How You Do

When we think about feelings in music, we tend to think about people writing about how they have been wronged by someone close to them, or anger. As well as knowing how you feel, think about why this is the case.

Have you genuinely been wronged, or have you behaved like a bit of an idiot and that has translated into how you’re feeling now?

Don’t Get Clever

Many of the most memorable songs are those with profound lyrics. However, you should think about how many songs are actually like this. The answer? Not very many. You should also think about the people responsible for these songs. They tend to be well known and established musicians that have been around for a long time and can afford to take a risk writing something that might be seen as ridiculous. When you have credibility, you’ll be amazed at exactly what you can pass off as genius!

You should balance this out with the level of complexity in your track. Be thoughtful without being too clever; try to avoid sounding like you’ve written a nursery rhyme!

Show Your Friends

Music, especially when we’ve written it ourselves, is something that is very close and personal to ourselves. However, if you’re looking to home your lyrics and your music, you ought to be showing it to your friends and your family. Make sure you target the honest people who will give you constructive feedback and not just say “it’s great” because that’s what you want to hear.

Take their feedback on board and use it to develop your lyrics further.

Use these tips when putting lyrics to acoustic compositions and you’ll always be able to come up with something, even if it needs work to be truly inspirational. You might even find yourself with a song for three of four different moods based on one piece of music!

Saxophone Tips

How to Find A Saxophone Tutor

July 21, 2014 admin Leave a comment

Learning a new instrument is always a fun challenge to take. Acquiring the ability to play a musical instrument is definitely worth all the practice required. Saxophone is one of those instruments that just sound amazing, but it also isn’t the easiest instrument to master. When it comes to learning to play the saxophone, finding a tutor to help is a good idea. But how can you find a saxophone tutor?

Here are some tips to help you out.

“Sax1″ by TR001 – Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sax1.JPG#mediaviewer/File:Sax1.JPG

Why You Should Look for a Tutor?

First, it is a good idea to understand why finding a saxophone tutor is a good idea. Although there are plenty of ways to learn to play the saxophone on your own, it helps a lot to have a tutor to guide you through.

When it comes to mastering the saxophone, the technique you use is essential. Even though there are websites like Stormhorn that tell a great deal about things such as jazz saxophone theory and technique, it can also be quite beneficial to have someone show the right techniques.

Another thing you want to talk about with a tutor is to do with the saxophone equipment you will use. When it comes to picking the right instrument for you and your playing style, some expert tips are definitely a good idea. For example, read our blog post about picking the right saxophone reeds.

Check Local Groups

There are plenty of music tutors all across the UK. Therefore, finding a tutor who gives group or private lessons shouldn’t be too tricky. You can check with your local council and ask if they do band practice.

Alternatively, if you know about a nearby music school, you can give them a ring. Teachers and even music students often give private tutorials in order to earn a bit of extra money. You can go leave a little notice on the school’s notice board of online forums.

You could also give a call to smaller recording studios and ask if you can leave a notice on their premises as well. Small bands might have players who are willing to earn a bit of extra money.

Don’t Forget the Internet

On top of these more traditional methods, the internet has also provided plenty of opportunities to find a tutor. You can find plenty of websites that specialise in saxophone music and through their forums it might be possible to get tips that will help you out. For instance, the Café Saxophone website has a nice forum to talk about the saxophone and you can find plenty of helpful people there to boost your learning.

You can also find online tutorials. These aren’t a bad idea at all, especially if you go with video tutorials. Learning to play an instrument from the comfort of your own home is great and it isn’t difficult if you just pay a lot of attention to what you are doing.

If you are interested in video tutorial opportunities, then check out our website for some more information. Whether you use a real life tutor as well doesn’t matter, the more practice you get, the faster you’ll master the saxophone.

Hopefully, the above tips will help you in your quest for a saxophone tutor. You’ve picked a great instrument in saxophone and learning it together with another player is not only much more fun, but it’s also a bit more rewarding. So, check different resources and take your practice to a completely new level.

Saxophone Tips

Top 5 Songs Featuring Baritone Saxophones

July 17, 2014 admin Leave a comment

When it comes to quality saxophone music there isn’t much that beats proper baritone sax. This dark and witty instrument has been an amazing addition to saxophone music in a wide variety of genres. Although names like Duke Ellington and Gerry Mulligan are the first to come up when you think about baritone saxophone music, there are plenty of other players with cool songs. Here are some of the top songs featuring baritone saxophones.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Early To Bed by Morphine

Morphine has plenty of baritone saxophone songs with Dana Colley providing the amazing sounds. Early To Bed is a great song to listen to and you should consider playing it as well.

It’s also a song with a difference to many of the other blues or jazz songs. Although there are plenty of blues and jazz elements to this song, it is still mainly a rock-influenced song. If you like your saxophone music with a bit of a twist, then this is definitely a song worth listening to.

Moanin’ by Charles Mingus

If you love blues, then this Charles Mingus song is a great song to listen to. It features a baritone saxophone that adds great dark undertones to the song. The song is super-relaxed and there is so much pure soul poured into this song.

Charles Mingus has other amazing songs that feature baritone saxophones as well. You can find out more about his music from the Those Who Dig website to understand his message further.

Line for Lyons by Three Baritone Saxophone Band

Three Baritone Saxophone Band has plenty of songs that are all about baritone sax. Therefore, you could go through almost the whole of their songs, but the Line for Lyons is definitely worth playing.

The music is heavily influenced by jazz music, but you can also feel the vibes from other genres throughout the song. The composition works very well, although three baritone saxophones at once can easily be too much.

What a Dream by Sidney Bechet featuring Ernie Caceres

What a Dream features both an alto saxophone as well as a baritone saxophone played by Ernie Caceres. It is a great song highlighting how well these two different tones play together.

You can see the different instruments talk together throughout the song. The composition isn’t anything too difficult to learn either and it’s a lovely mellow song to add to your repertoire.

Frustration by Duke Ellington featuring Harry Carney

Duke Ellington must feature on any list of the best baritone saxophonists. He was truly the master of using this instrument in his compositions and he created plenty of masterpieces that any saxophonist should familiarise themselves with.

The song also features Ellington’s good friend Harry Carney. Carney’s style of playing the baritone saxophone truly gives a rich sound to the song. Frustration teaches well how to control the power of your baritone saxophone.

If you are looking to learn more about some of the great baritone saxophone players, then you should head down to the Jazz Bari Sax website. There are plenty of informative articles about baritone saxophone greats like Harry Carney.

You can also find great saxophone lessons from our website. Mastering baritone saxophone isn’t impossible and these above songs can help you understand the amazing possibilities of this instrument.

Guitar Tips

How to Improve Playing Barre Chords

July 14, 2014 admin Leave a comment

One of the hardest things for a beginner guitarist is to conquer the barre chords. These are some of the trickiest chords you need to master, but there are some simple tricks that can help you learn to play them with ease. It will take some time and you’ll need to be prepared to practice hard, but you can improve your playing with these tips.

What Are Barre Chords?

Barre chords require you to press all the strings down at once on a single fret. You usually do this by using just one finger, the first finger, while leaving the other fingers free for playing the rest of the strings accordingly. Barre chords are tricky, but once you master them, you’ll find playing the guitar much more enjoyable.

Generally, the key to mastering barre chords is all about gaining finger strength and composure. The following tips can help you strengthen your finger muscles as well as get your playing style more suited for barre chords.

Build Finger Strength

When it comes to playing barre chords, the most important part is having enough finger strength to do it. It is a good idea to start doing little finger exercises, since this can almost instantly make playing the chords easier.

You can start with the following exercise:

Start slowly by placing your finger on the thinnest string and holding it down for a count of five.
Continue by holding down the thinnest string plus the second thinnest string. Do this again for a count of five.
Keep going forwards by always adding one more string to hold down and counting to five.
Once you are holding down all the strings, you can start going backwards and remove one string from your position.

In addition, you should try to do this with all of your fingers. Although most of the time you will be using your first finger to play barre chords, it can sometimes be easier to hold down the strings with another finger. For example, read this Street Musician blog post for tips on using your thumb for playing barre chords.

Repeat this exercise as often as possible. It is something you can casually do when you are watching TV or hanging out with your friends.

See What Other Players Are Doing

You can learn a lot more about playing the guitar by watching other people play. When it comes to mastering the barre chords, you need to find the right wrist and elbow positions to ensure that your hand doesn’t start aching afterwards. In order to find the best position, seeing what other guitarists do can also help you a lot.

Video sites like Youtube offer plenty of guitar videos and watching other people play can teach you a lot about finger movement and posture. You can also check out one of our guitar lessons to understand playing barre chords better.

The Best Songs to Practice Barre Chords

There are also a number of songs, which are especially good for practicing barre chords. Once your finger is getting used to playing barre chords, include these following songs to your practicing routine:

Ben E. King – Stand by me: you can actually play the whole song by using just four barre chords.
Sublime – Santeria: a good song to practice the basics.
The Beatles – Hey Jude: a bit more difficult, but great for enhancing your skills further.

Hopefully, with the above tips you get off to a good start. Remember to practice your barre chord positions daily, especially because this is the best way to gain finger strength. Don’t give up! It will feel difficult at first, but you’ll get there eventually.